Worlds Away
by byleapsandbounds
Summary: A retelling of the myth of Hades and Persephone, albeit with a few slight twists and turns.
1. A Perfectly Average Morning

_Chapter 1: A Perfectly Average Morning_

_by Byleapsandbounds_

Persephone woke to a great crash that came from the kitchen, her mother starting the day with yet another one of her perilous cleaning sprees. Sighing, Persephone pushed away the covers of her bed and slid her feet into her favorite slippers before moving to assist her mother.

"Good morning, Kore!" Her mother sang, wrestling with a pile of dishes that threatened to spill out of her arms. Persephone took half the stack and placed them on the shelf.

"You should really consider taking two trips, Mother," Persephone intoned, rubbing her eyes.

"That's why I have a daughter, isn't it?" Demeter put the other stack of plates away before pausing to take a breath. "Would you like some breakfast? I've already eaten. I didn't want to wake you"

"No thank you," she yawned, stretching. '_Thanks for being so considerate'_ she mumbled to herself, stepping over the broken dish that woke her. "I'm not hungry. Plus, I promised the nymphs I'd help them find some flowers for their garlands this morning."

"Just don't wander too far, darling," her mother replied, bending to pick up the shattered remains of the plate."You know how they like to," she paused, "explore." Persephone could hear the note of bitterness in her mother's voice, a common occurrence in the speech of her uncommonly protective mother. To be fair, the Leimakids (as familiar with the land as they were) did have a tendency to get lost during their floral 'adventures.'

"I'll be fine, mother!" Persephone had already begun walking back to her room to change.

She reemerged several minutes later, having put on a fresh white chiton, allowing her hair to fall loose over her shoulders in a cascade of auburn. Demeter had already made her way back to the other end of their humble home, allowing Persephone to slip out the door without any further confrontation. Her mother always worried too much; it was almost suffocating the way she kept Persephone 'safe'. Often it felt as if Demeter was afraid to let the fledgling goddess truly live.

Persephone let her fingers trail over curls, twisting them into small ringlets as she made her way through the valley towards the line of trees ahead. On the other side was the field where she and her friends would always find the most beautiful flowers with which they could weave stunning wreathes. Sadly, floral decoration making was about as exciting as it got in their little valley.

"Percy!" A shout came from behind her, interrupting her mental pity party.

Persephone turned around to see a familiar face running towards her. Her face broke out into a huge grin, "Orpheus!" she exclaimed in response. He was one of the few mortals she knew, and the closest thing she had to a best friend. Her mother was completely unaware of this fact.

Orpheus was winded when he finally reached her. "I've missed you," he panted, embracing his friend. "May I accompany you?" He paused, "Er.. where are you going?"

Persephone laughed, unfolding his arms from around her. "Flower picking. Girl stuff; you wouldn't really enjoy it." Orpheus let out a gasp, covering his mouth with a hand in mock offense.

"Percy! Am I truly not manly enough to be able to enjoy picking some daffodils without feeling concerned about my sexuality?"

"Of course you are," Persephone reached up and ruffled his curly hair, smiling. Orpheus grimaced. "Shall we?"

He offered his arm, "We shall."

Persephone took his arm, genially, and turned them in the proper direction before she began her interrogation.

"So... how did it go?"

"How did _what_ go?" Orpheus answered, coyly. A gentle push from Persephone jogged his memory. "Oh, with Eurydice?"

Persephone rolled her eyes, dropping his arm and bending to pick up a little purple flower as they walked.

"The wedding is set to take place in just under a month," he revealed, shyly plucking some stray grass from his himation.

Persephone beamed, "Congratulations! I thought you'd never ask her!"

"Thank you so much for your unfailing confidence," Orpheus deadpanned, earning him another playful nudge.

"Any time," Persephone lilted, skipping over a fallen branch as they entered the woods. The foliage overhead shielded the pair from the sunlight, a damp breeze chilling them as they pushed their way towards the field on the other side. '_There's something strange about this breeze,_' Persephone mused, mildly uncomfortable. She dismissed the thought, glancing to Orpheus behind her as he pulled his himation free of a branch which then snapped back towards him, leaving a nice wet mark across his chest. She laughed. He threw her a goofy smile.

Demeter would never approve of her friendship with a man, even one already betrothed. Orpheus was one of Persephone's many secrets; he was a balm that soothed the ache of solitude that came from living with the most possessive woman- or rather goddess- in all of Greece. What her mother didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Demeter might wonder, however, why her daughter was attending the wedding of a mortal she'd never met. _'That could be a problem...'_

"Are you listening, Percy?"

Persephone blinked, torn from her reverie. "I'm sorry?"

"I was telling you about meeting with her father..." Orpheus drawled.

"Right, sorry. Go ahead," she beckoned, ducking beneath a low hanging branch and stepping into the light of the meadow.

As Orpheus and Persephone left the woods, a lean figure in the shade observed them from a distance, silent and unnoticed.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I warn you, I tend to update slowly. My sincerest apologies._

_I'll always try to define or explain terms that may be unfamiliar to you, but you can also look these up. I'm human, and I make mistakes. If you catch something, don't hesitate to let me know! Your reviews make me a better author, and a happier person :)_

_Leimakids: Nymphs of the meadows.  
__Chiton: Traditional tunic/dress.  
__Himation: Traditional outer cloak._


	2. The Girl

_Chapter 2: The Girl  
_

_by Byleapsandbounds_

Never in his long life had the god of the underworld ever seen a mortal of such radiance and beauty. Understandably so. The ones he _did_ see were dead, and death did have a way of dulling one's natural beauty.

Hades slid further into the shadows as the girl skipped by with her companion, petite fingers occasionally plucking a stray flower from the dusty earth. Her green eyes sparkled with happiness, deep set against olive skin that seemed to glow in the sunlight.

"Haaaaades!" a delicate chirp came from behind him.

He turned to see Minthe clutching a handful of hyacinths to her chest. "Aren't they lovely," she cooed, plucking away a few dead petals from the bunch.

"Who is she?" Hades asked the diminutive nymph beside him, glancing back towards the place where the pair of mortals had been. Minthe pouted, upset at being ignored.

"That's Demeter's daughter, Persephone."

_'So she's a goddess,'_ Hades frowned, '_Why have I never seen her before__..?'  
_

Minthe leaned closer to him, reaching up to tousle a low-hanging lock of black hair, "She's nothing special. All Demeter lets her do is spend time in her garden." She tucked the strand behind his ear, whining. "It's soooo boring."

Hades gently brushed her hand aside, "My apologies, it seems I have business to attend to," he excused himself, turning towards the path down which he'd come.

"Where are you going?" Minthe pleaded, abandoning her flowers in the grass as she hastened after him, shivering as the wind of the coming storm grabbed at her dress with cool, persistent fingers.

"To pay my little brother a visit."

o0o0o0o0o

Olympus was just as gaudy and primitive as Hades remembered it. He sighed, glancing about the rather distastefully decorated throne room. All the bright gold made his eyes hurt, he who was used to the pleasantly dim halls of the underworld. Speaking of gaudy, unpleasant things.. where was Zeus?

The gods were rarely partial to punctuality, favoring a fashionably late entrance to everything. One of many reasons Hades never bothered with them.

"Well look who's finally decided to grace us with his presence!"

Hades whirled around, black cloak billowing behind him, to face his brother.

"Zeus," He nodded, politely.

"Well don't be shy!" Zeus bellowed, throwing his arms around the brother he hadn't seen in decades. "Rest your feet, have some wine! You look ghastly, brother. Is there no sun in your realm?"

Hades fought the urge to roll his eyes. '_Ever the comedian..'_

"Actually, I come with a request."

"Always busy with work," Zeus boisterously interrupted, releasing an uncomfortable Hades. "You should try this new concoction Dionysus has created. It's magnificent!" He proceeded to take a large swig from his goblet, clumsily spilling a few drops of the drink onto the floor.

"Zeus," Hades pressed, ignoring his inebriated brother. "Are you aware that Demeter has a daughter?"

Zeus frowned, polishing off the last of his wine. "I haven't seen Demeter since the night of Thesmophoria, two decades ago..." he paused. "Persephone, her daughter, is mine."

Hades raised an elegantly shaped brow, watching something akin to shame color his younger brother's face.

"Demeter and I disagreed in our parenting approaches, so she ran off to earth and hid among the mortals with our daughter. Something about not wanting her child to grow up around the promiscuous filth of Olympus."

Hades had to agree with Demeter on one thing. Olympus was indeed a sanctuary for the more crude and sexually athletic gods and goddesses, which encompassed the majority of the fickle beings. Zeus set his goblet on the arm of his throne, leaning forward.

"What is it you wanted with Persephone?"

Hades gazed seriously at his brother, "I wish to court her."

There was a brief silence.

Suddenly Zeus erupted in thunderous laughter that echoed throughout the hall so loudly that it startled Artemis in the courtyard, making her drop the bow she'd just polished.

"Ha! The god of the dead is smitten with my daughter! THE GODDESS OF SPING? OF LIFE?" Tears were cascading down his face as he doubled over, laughter .

Hades waited patiently, mildly perturbed at this display. His romantic interests were not his brother's concern...

Zeus quickly calmed himself to light chuckles.

"You have my permission to court Persephone, Hades." He assured his sibling, genially. "But, the chances of Demeter letting her maiden child run off to the realm of the dead to be- pardon the pun- deflowered by the king of death are slim to none."

Hades was completely disinterested in his overbearing sister's parenting. He exhaled deeply, "I can't understand why she wouldn't want to escape that beast of a goddess.."

Zeus, seeing the new look of determination on Hades's face as he spoke, interrupted, "Perhaps Demeter wouldn't need to know..."

Hades' coal black eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, a wry grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I'm listening," he intoned.

"What did you have in mind?"

o0o0o0o0o

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_YAY! Another chapter. I hope you don't mind my slow updates. I promise to use the time to write these to the best of my ability. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it :)_

_Expect to see an update soon within the next week or two. _

_Until then, happy reading!_


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